Students from Escola ORT Brazil have won the 2025 World ORT Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) in the southern hemisphere.
Their winning idea was the establishment of social enterprise Solar Access, which aims to improve the lives of people on low incomes by increasing energy accessibility. The students’ pilot sought to provide 50 solar panels generating energy for 30 families.
Students from King David School Linksfield, in South Africa, were the runners-up, with their design of a smart safety wristband that combats gender-based violence.
Nightshield, which has the tagline “empowering safety, everywhere”, was pitched as an affordable, rechargeable and life-saving device that would be of benefit in a country that has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. It features an SOS squeeze activator, glowing strobe light and automatic route tracker.
Students from seven schools in four countries – South Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Peru – took part in this year’s Southern Hemisphere program.
During the YEP competition – one of ORT’s flagship programs which helps students aged 15 to 17 learn decision-making, verbal communication, and critical thinking first-hand – teenagers are given the opportunity to design a product or service that addresses a social issue or a business need.
Over the nine-month course, students write detailed reports and present in front of expert judges. They begin with several ideas, narrow these down to one main business concept, and then develop it step by step – from market research and risk analysis to product specifications, business model, marketing strategy, prototype creation, creating a full business plan and pitch.
Students from Aquadene Secondary School in South Africa were awarded the highest score in this final round for their initiative, BioGreen Incorporation. Their aim was to turn greenhouse emissions into profit through converting methane and carbon dioxide from industry into dry ice, biomethane, oxygen and carbon credits.
World ORT CEO Dov Ben-Shimon told the teams: “You’ve gained knowledge, and you’ve learned new skills. But, most of all, we hope that you’ve developed an entrepreneurial mindset.
“You’re the ones who will shape your future. You’re the ones who’ll take responsibility for yourselves and your – our – community and what we’ll look like. That’s building skills for life. Not only about making money, but helping people and creating jobs.
“You’ve had opportunities to make real decisions about your business, but you’ve also had to deal with setbacks or criticism and learn from mistakes – building your confidence and resilience. You’ve had to develop good time management, to manage schoolwork alongside entrepreneurial projects. And that balancing is all about who you’re going to be. I know that we all look forward to following your future success in the years to come.”
The four judges were Brad Kolar, who is the founder of Avail Advisors and works with organizations around the world to simplify problems, decisions, data, and communication; private investor and company director Christian Varin, who serves on several boards, including that of Banque Edmond de Rothschild in Paris; Sandra Merrill, a mind–body practitioner and leadership coach who helps people live more balanced and fulfilling , and Philippe Leopold Metzger, World ORT Vice-Chair and a former CEO of Piaget, who is currently a private equity investor in a number of start-ups.
Mr. Leopold Metzger is also the vice-president of ORT Switzerland, which is the proud sponsor of the YEP program.